The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) a construction permit for Clinch River Nuclear Unit 1 on September 28, 2026. The permit authorizes construction of the proposed reactor facility in Roane County, Tennessee, subject to its conditions. It does not authorize TVA to operate the reactor or generate electricity.
What the NRC permit authorizes
The NRC’s permit, identified as CPAR-2, covers construction of the power reactor facility described in TVA’s application. The agency’s October 5, 2026, Federal Register notice states: “The CP, which is immediately effective, authorizes TVA to construct a power reactor facility in Roane County, Tennessee, as described in the CP application.” NRC notice, published October 5, 2026.
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“Immediately effective” describes the permit’s legal effectiveness; it is not an announcement that construction has begun. The permit is subject to conditions, and the NRC says safety questions must be satisfactorily resolved by the completion of construction.
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What TVA plans to build, and where
The application is for one GE Vernova Hitachi BWRX-300 small modular reactor, designated Clinch River Nuclear Site Unit 1. The proposed site is TVA’s Clinch River property in Oak Ridge, Roane County, Tennessee, on the northern bank of the Clinch River arm of Watts Bar Reservoir. The NRC and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ final supplemental environmental impact statement describes the application as covering one BWRX-300 unit. Final supplemental environmental impact statement notice, April 6, 2026.
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TVA describes its property as approximately 1,200 acres: an approximately 935-acre Clinch River site and an approximately 265-acre Grassy Creek Habitat Protection Area. TVA says the site had previously been disturbed during the Clinch River Breeder Reactor project, which ended in the 1980s. These are land-area figures, not reactor capacity figures. TVA’s Clinch River Nuclear site page.
Construction permit versus operating permission
A construction permit and authorization to operate are separate licensing stages. CPAR-2 permits construction as described in the application, subject to its conditions; the permit itself does not allow fuel loading, commercial operation, or electricity generation. The NRC notice identifies the permit as a construction authorization, not an operating license. NRC notice, October 5, 2026.
The records cited in the notice do not establish a construction start date, operating-license date, commercial-operation date, project cost, or committed electricity output. Permit issuance is therefore a regulatory milestone, not a project completion schedule or guarantee of performance.
What the NRC found
In its notice, the NRC says it found that applicable Atomic Energy Act and regulatory requirements were met; that there is reasonable assurance permit-authorized activities will comply with NRC rules; that TVA is technically and financially qualified to construct the facility; and that the project poses no undue risk to public health and safety, subject to permit conditions. These are the agency’s regulatory findings, not assurances about cost, timing, or eventual operation.
The NRC also says conditions from TVA’s 2019 early site permit had been met except for those listed in the construction permit. Its review included a Safety Evaluation and a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement; a September 28, 2026, Record of Decision incorporated the environmental materials by reference. The notice lists the permit, Record of Decision, June 24, 2026, Safety Evaluation, and April 2026 supplemental environmental document among the public records. NRC notice and docket documents.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How this differs from TVA’s 2019 site permit
The 2019 Early Site Permit, ESP-006, addressed the Clinch River site. CPAR-2 is a later licensing step covering construction of a specified facility at that site. The distinction is important: permission to use a site for a potential nuclear project is not the same as a permit to construct a particular reactor.
Milestone timeline
- December 19, 2019: The NRC issued TVA Early Site Permit ESP-006 for the Clinch River site.
- April 6, 2026: The NRC and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued the final supplemental environmental impact statement for the construction permit application, describing one GE Vernova Hitachi BWRX-300.
- June 24, 2026: The NRC staff’s final Safety Evaluation was dated.
- September 28, 2026: The NRC issued CPAR-2 and the Record of Decision.
- October 5, 2026: The Federal Register published notice of the permit issuance.
The NRC project page lists the final safety evaluation and environmental review as completed review milestones. NRC Clinch River construction permit application project page.
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What remains uncertain
TVA’s site page says its decision about potentially building small modular reactors remains under discussion. The NRC permit settles the regulatory question of whether construction may proceed under its terms; it does not establish that TVA has made a final project-execution decision or set a construction or operating schedule. TVA’s Clinch River Nuclear site page.
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